Analysing films

Growing up in the sub-continent and that too in a difficult city in Eastern UP (Uttar Pradesh) it was/will always be difficult to miss the subtle undercurrents that blows through cities, societies, towns and the villages. Class, caste, disparity, religion and the simple existence of everyday life remains a challenge. Always judgmental and willing to tow the line it becomes difficult after a point and even starts to become a state of mind. I remember for the longest time it was hard to make people understand that I was not a Baniya (a trading community in India) just because my surname ended with a Gupta. Infact, it was even more difficult to make them understand that I was myself unsure of my caste and was pretty much happy in being just a random teenager with a Bong mother tongue.  The scarcity of the 70's and the 80's further added to the pangs of staying in a small city. Both parents being in academics and me in further ignominy of being always handed limited dole as pocket

  Anand completes 50 years since it was released and what a journey this gem has taken. Over the years the film has only gone onto strengthen itself in a classic category. Hrishikesh Mukherjee was always known to produce small budget meaningful cinema. And a person who starts with editing as a career profession and then moving to directing, he understood his frames and his cinema so well. While working on Do Bigha Zameen (A Bimal Roy classic) his editing skills are amazing treat. The opening sequence of the rains and everybody dancing (Later copied in Lagaan too) has some great frames to watch in Black and White. Do Bigha Zameen along side some terrific acting and plot is a visual treat and it is amazing editing that Hrishida brings on the table (watch the Rickshaw race scene to know more of that). Anand works for some terrific acting, an easy narration and a plot which is so well diffused in the time when as a nation we were looking for hope. The post partition trauma, widespread pove

  Satya was released in the spring of 1998. End of 90's was a interesting period for Hindi cinema and coinciding with it, Satya released. 1998 was also interesting particularly, with Karan Johar introducing himself and his brand of cinema with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Both films changed the way how the operating guidelines will work for Hindi cinema in the next few years. Satya, was Ram Gopal Verma's (RGV) 14th film after a slew of them released between 1989 and till 1998. With his first release, Shiva, RGV had already made his mark. The film was considered definitive in technique and a marvel to watch. Indian audience had never seen something like what Shiva was showcasing. Sound, Editing, Photography, Cinematography and camerawork changed the way with Shiva. Backed with some great casting the film quickly gained a cult status. Between Shiva and his next breezy entertainer Rangeela there was a gap of few years. Rangeela opened up the audience to the world of musical. I personally f

Before I begin, I have to confess that I am not a big fan of Alankrita Shrivastav's work. I have had a chance to see her previous two outing, Lipstick under my Burqa and Dolly Kitty Ke Chamakte Sitare. And both of them failed to impress me. The message of femininity and trying to literally push it down viewers throat, gets a little too much and in Bombay Begum it is an encore too. There is a certain formulaic approach to how she looks at woman and that is weird. One understands for a society like India, we go with certain clichés and given norms. But...  I for one, growing up in the heartland of Eastern UP have seen the status of Woman, Girls and infant girls at home and outside. I remember someone (unfortunately cannot disclose the identity or the relation) who actually fathered a child from his daughter because some holy saint had instructed him to get into a "sambhog" with his daughter for the greater good of the family. We were kids growing up and understood little of

On Women's day I thought of revisiting the classic; Erin Brockovich. A 2000 film which features the absolute powerhouse Julia Roberts along with an exceptional cast of Albert Finney and Aaron Eckhart. In addition there are many many smaller roles of some beautiful casting and acting. But, the film Erin Brockovich is a Julia Roberts film, out and out. As Erin Brockovich, she struggles, she has her problems, she has made mistakes in life, has three kids to look after and not once has she flinched from her responsibilities and finally for some time she did have the support of the neighbor, George (Aaron Eckhart). But in the end, it is Erin who knows she has to take responsibilities and that is when you know why Womanhood is celebrated and why woman remain so central to life, and lessons that we all get.  Julia Roberts plays the real life Erin Brockovich an activist who worked tirelessly for the residents of the Hinkley, California who have complex medical issues arising from contam

  Gully Boy came in the Spring of 2019 and the film promos started airing in the winter of 2019 itself. The promos simply blew you off as one was not exposed to the kind of stuff being shown in those. There was rap and there was music and there was backdrop in which it was all being shown and then you started to think what is this?  And then it starts working on you that Gully Boy (and Zoya and only Zoya's vision) is a visionary film and for an audience like India, bringing the context mainstream is worthy of a lot of accolades that Zoya deserves. In the filmography of Zoya, a film of this kind was completely off chance and it might be right or wrong to say; but could have been way out of her comfort zone. She was dabbling in a genre where purists often chided her for siding with the SoBo and their tastes. I would guess that is wrong to put it; as her directorial debut (Luck by Chance) was a completely different take and to me that still remains her best. Gully Boy is an out and o